Tent Hub Assembly

ABSTRACT

A hub assembly for a tent has open, intermediate, and closed configurations, with pairs of fasteners and pins having a first distance in a first direction substantially equal to a second distance between fasteners and the pins along a second direction different from the first direction. When the first and second distances are equal, a biasing member is in a first state in both the open and closed configurations. In the intermediate configuration between the open and closed configurations, the biasing member has a second state which is compressed, and a vertical distance between pairs of fasteners and pins is greater than the first distance. Moving the poles from the intermediate configuration to either the open or the closed configurations decreases the vertical distance between the fastener and the pin which transitions the biasing member from the second state to the less compressed first state.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S.application Ser. No. 14/251,729, filed on Apr. 14, 2014, which claimsforeign priority to China Application No. 2013207091816, filed on Nov.11, 2013, which are incorporated by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a tent hub assembly, and in particularto a hub assembly which facilitates folding and unfolding of a tent.

2. Description of Prior Art

Foldable tents are well known in the art and have become very popular inrecent years. In fact, every major retail outlet in the U.S. sells afoldable tent in one form or another. Foldable tents come in differentconfigurations with a variety of features and manufacturers continue toimprove those features. However, in general, a foldable tent comprises atent fabric coupled to a frame assembly at a radially inner space of theframe assembly.

One of the most important parts of the foldable tent is the hubassembly. The hub assembly serves as the backbone of the tent andfacilitates the opening and folding of the tent while also maintainingthe tent in those positions. In earlier developed foldable tents the hubassembly included an external locking mechanism to ensure that the tentis maintained in the open state. However, external locking mechanismsare problematic for a number of reasons such as added bulk and weight,the tendency to malfunction due to the number of interacting components,and the extra time it takes to open and fold the tent. Therefore, morerecently a hub assembly that does not require an external lockingmechanism was developed.

In a more recently developed hub assembly the tent poles are pivotallycoupled to the hub assembly and supported by an engaging surface whenthe tent is in the open configuration, as shown and described, forexample, in U.S. Pat. No. 8,448,656. When folded, the poles are pivotedupward relative to the hub assembly and the hub assembly is placed ontop of the tent fabric and folded into a compact bundle, and storedwithin a carry bag. Even though the more recently developed hub assemblyis more advantageous than the previous hub assembly having an externallocking mechanism, there are several problems associated with such aconfiguration.

In the open state, in the foldable tent of the prior art described inthe previous paragraph the radially inward tension from the tent fabricprevents the tent from collapsing. The upper poles of the tent aresecured only by way of contact with the engaging surface. Therefore,when the inward tension from the tent fabric is weakened or when theupper tent poles do not fully engage the engaging surface, for exampleby strong wind exerted on the tent or by human contact, the tent issusceptible to collapsing because an additional safeguard formaintaining the tent in the open state is not present.

Another disadvantage of the foldable tent of the prior art describedabove is that the tent fabric is susceptible to damage when folded. Thisis because the poles are folded upward relative to the hub assembly andthus the hub assembly rests directly on top of the tent fabric when thetent it folded. The friction caused between the hub assembly and thetent fabric could damage the tent fabric. The damage could be as severeas the tent fabric being torn, punctured or ripped especially when thefolded tent is dropped on the end where the hub assembly is located.

Another disadvantage in the foldable tent of the prior art is that thetent fabric could be damaged during the set up process. For the tent ofthe prior art, the tent must first be unfolded such that the floor ofthe tent is completely expanded with the poles resting on top. The useris then required to reach within the boundaries of the floor to furtherunfold and extend the poles. It is difficult to engage the poles withoutstepping on the tent fabric especially in larger instant tents of theprior art. Therefore, the tent fabric is further susceptible to damage.

Other hub assemblies have been developed to overcome the disadvantagesof the hub assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 8,448,656. For example, the hubassemblies of U.S. Patent Nos. 7,861,736; 8,047,218; and 7,607,447disclose hub assemblies where the poles fold downward and that do nothave external locking mechanisms. However, those hub assemblies arequite bulky due to the requirement of a lengthy biasing mechanism andare costly to manufacture because they require much more material—bothplastic and metal.

Furthermore, prior art hub assemblies having biasing mechanisms areproblematic because it is difficult for the tent to consistently remainin the open and folded configurations due to the constant spring forcewhich tends to collapse the tent when an open configuration is desiredand/or open the tent when a folded configuration is desired.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of theinvention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention.This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is notintended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or todelineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to presentsome embodiments of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude tothe more detailed description that is presented later.

The present invention is intended to overcome at least theabove-described disadvantages. More specifically, the objects andadvantages of the present invention are to provide a foldable instanttent that: includes a safeguard against unwanted collapse of the tentwhile in an open state unwanted opening of the tent while in a foldedstate; has the capability of the upper tent poles to fold downward tominimize contact between the hub assembly and tent fabric when in thefolded state, and provides the user with easy set up while eliminatingthe need for the user to make contact with the tent fabric with his feetduring set up; and is more cost effective to manufacture.

Facilitating the above-mentioned objectives, the present inventionprovides a hub assembly for a tent having a plurality of poles, the hubassembly comprising: a hub having a central member in a central apertureand a plurality of arms, each arm having a fastener aperture forreceiving a fastener which pivotably connects a first hole of arespective pole to the arm; a base having a shaft and a plurality ofwalls, with the central member slidably disposed in the shaft, withpairs of the walls forming pole slots each for receiving a respectivepole, each wall having an elongated guide slot for receiving a pin whichpasses through a second hole of a respective pole in the pole slot; abiasing member disposed in the shaft; wherein, with the poles in an openconfiguration, the pins are in a locking position in the elongated slot;wherein, when the poles are moved to a closed configuration, the pinsare moved from the locking position to an unlocked position in theelongated slot; and wherein, for each pole, a first distance between therespective fastener and the respective pin along a first direction issubstantially equal to a second distance between the fastener and thepin along a second direction different from the first direction.

The present invention also provides a hub assembly for a tent having aplurality of poles, the hub assembly comprising: a hub having a centralmember in a central aperture and a plurality of arms, each arm having afirst pivotal connection with a first portion of a respective pole; abase having a shaft and a plurality of walls, with the central memberslidably disposed in the shaft, with the walls including a guide slothaving a second pivotal connection with a second portion of a respectivepole; and a biasing member disposed in the central member; wherein, foreach pole, a first distance between the respective first and secondpivotal connections along a first direction is substantially equal to asecond distance between the first and second pivotal connections along asecond direction different from the first direction.

The present invention further provides a tent comprising: a plurality ofpoles; a hub having a central member in a central aperture and aplurality of arms, each arm having a fastener aperture for receiving afastener which pivotably connects a first hole of a respective pole tothe arm; a base having a shaft and a plurality of walls, with thecentral member slidably disposed in the shaft, with pairs of the wallsforming pole slots each for receiving a respective pole, each wallhaving an elongated guide slot for receiving a pin which passes througha second hole of a respective pole in the pole slot; a biasing memberdisposed in the shaft to bias the central member upward to bias the hubupward from the base; wherein, with the poles in an open configuration,the pins are in a locking position in the elongated guide slot; wherein,when the poles are moved to a closed configuration, the pins are movedfrom the locking position to an unlocked position in the elongated guideslot; and wherein, for each pole, a first distance between therespective fastener and the respective pin along a first direction issubstantially equal to a second distance between the fastener and thepin along a second direction different from the first direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description ofpresently preferred embodiments of the invention, will be betterunderstood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For thepurpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawingsembodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood,however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangementsand instrumentalities shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top side perspective view of an embodiment of a hub assemblyof the present invention in the open configuration;

FIG. 2 is the top side perspective view of FIG. 1 with parts separated;

FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view of the hub assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top side perspective view of the hub assembly of FIG. 1 in apartially closed configuration;

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the hub assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a top side perspective view of the hub assembly of FIG. 1 inthe closed configuration;

FIG. 7 is a front cross-sectional view of the hub assembly of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a top side perspective view of a tent with poles connected tothe hub assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a top side perspective view of an alternative embodiment ofthe hub assembly of the present invention with parts separated;

FIG. 10 is a top side perspective view of the hub assembly of FIG. 9 inan open configuration;

FIG. 11 is a front cross-sectional view of the hub assembly of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a top side perspective view of the hub assembly of FIG. 9 inan intermediate configuration;

FIG. 13 is a front cross-sectional view of the hub assembly of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a top side perspective view of the hub assembly of FIG. 9 ina closed or folded configuration; and

FIG. 15 is a front cross-sectional view of the hub assembly of FIG. 14.

To facilitate an understanding of the invention, identical referencenumerals have been used, when appropriate, to designate the same orsimilar elements that are common to the figures. Further, unless statedotherwise, the features shown in the figures are not drawn to scale, butare shown for illustrative purposes only.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenienceonly and is not limiting. The article “a” is intended to include one ormore items, and where only one item is intended the term “one” orsimilar language is used. Additionally, to assist in the description ofthe present invention, words such as top, bottom, upper, lower, front,rear, inner, outer, right and left are used to describe the accompanyingfigures. The terminology includes the words above specificallymentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.

Referring to FIGS. 1-8, the hub assembly 1 is connected to the ends of aplurality of poles 40 of a tent, as shown in FIG. 8, which have the tentfabric attached to the poles 40. As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the hub assembly1 has a body or hub 10 with a plurality of hub arms 12 radiallyextending from a central portion having a central aperture 11. Each hubarm 12 has a fastener aperture 15 which receives a fastener 16 thatpasses through a first hole 41 in the end of each pole 40 at a firstportion. The fastener 16 pivotally connects the first hole 41 to a pairof hub arms 12 of the hub 10, such that the pole 40 pivots in arespective pair of hub arms 12. In this embodiment, the hub assembly 1includes four poles 40 but more poles could be included with additionalhub arms 12 as well.

The hub assembly 1 also has a base 20 with pairs of walls 25 radiallyextending from a central portion with a shaft 24. Each pair of walls 25forms a pole slot for receiving an intermediate or second portion ofeach pole 40. The intermediate portions have a second hole 42 througheach pole 40, as shown in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, the shaft 24 iscylindrical but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that thehub assembly 1 could be configured such that the shaft 24 has othershapes and sizes such as, for example, having a square cross-section.

Each wall 25 of the base 20 has an elongated guide slot 21 which receivepins 50 that pass through the second holes 42, such that the elongatedguide slot 21 of each pair of walls 25 is pivotally connected to thesecond holes 42. Accordingly, the intermediate portions of the poles 40at the second holes 42 are slidably and pivotally connected to theelongated guide slot 21 of each pair of walls 25.

As shown in FIGS. 1-2 and 7, the elongated guide slot 21 is non-linear,having a linear portion 22 and a curved portion 23 which provides anon-linear path of slidable movement of the pins 50 in the elongatedguide slot 21.

Referring to FIGS. 2-3, the central aperture 11 and the shaft 24 receivea central member such as a bolt 13 which extends through a biasingmember such as a spring 30, which is disposed in an interior 26 of theshaft 24. The biasing member could also take on other forms such as adouble spring or a pneumatic actuator. A top portion of the shaft 24 issubstantially enclosed other than an aperture for which the bolt 13extends. The lower end of the bolt 13 engages a washer 14 and a nut 17.The diameter of the washer 14 is substantially equal to the innerdiameter of the shaft 24. In the open configuration, the hub body mayabut the base 20, while the spring 30 biases the hub body of the hubassembly 10 upward and away from the base 20. The shaft 24 may also havean opening 27 for attaching a top portion of the tent fabric or toattach other accessories.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the poles 40 are in an open configuration,with the pins 50 in the curved portion 23 of the elongated guide slot21. When the pins 50 are in the curved portion 23, the pins 40 are in alocked position at the upper end of the elongated guide slot 21, suchthat the poles 40 are maintained in the open configuration without theneed for additional fasteners. In addition, the spring 30 in theinterior 26 of the shaft 24 is partially compressed.

When a user desires to fold the tent, the user moves the poles 40 fromthe open configuration in FIGS. 1 and 3 to an intermediate configurationshown in FIGS. 4-5 and then to a closed configuration shown in FIGS.6-7.

Referring to FIGS. 4-5, to fold the tent, the user moves the poles 40 tothe intermediate configuration by moving the poles 40 downward, andtherefore providing a downward moment about the pivot of each fastener16 which is fixed to the hub arms 12. The downward moment removes theslidable pivoting pins 50 out of the curved portion 23 of the elongatedguide slot 21, as shown in FIG. 4, allowing the pins 50 to enter thelinear portion 22 of the elongated guide slot 21. In addition, as shownin FIG. 5, the downward moment applies a force which moves the hub 10upward from the base 20 and further compresses the spring 30 in theshaft 24.

The user then moves the poles 40 to the closed configuration, shown inFIGS. 6-7, by further moving the poles 40 toward the base 20 whichprovides a downward moment or torque about the pivot of each fastener16, allowing the pins 50 to slide downward along the linear portion 22of the elongated guide slot 21. Such a downward moment further applies aforce which moves the hub 10 further upward from the base 20 and furthercompresses the spring 30 in the shaft 24, as shown in FIG. 7. Thecompression of the spring 30 provides a force which maintains the poles40 in the closed configuration without the need for additionalfasteners.

To open the tent, the user moves the poles 40 upward from the closedconfiguration in FIGS. 6-7 through the intermediate configuration inFIGS. 4-5 and then to the open configuration in FIGS. 1 and 3. By movingthe poles 40 accordingly, the user provides an upward moment or torqueon the poles 40 about the fastener 16 to overcome the force of thecompressed spring 30, and then to move the pins 50 into the curvedportion 23 of the elongated guide slot 21. Thus, the upward momentprovided by the opening movement of the poles 40 slides the pins 50upward along the linear portion of the elongated guide slot 22 to thelocking position in the curved portion 23.

Therefore, in the open configuration in FIGS. 1 and 3, the spring 30 isextended and the pins 50 are locked in the curved portion 23 so that thepins 50 cannot release from the curved portion 23 unless the userprovides sufficient downward force to move the poles 40.

In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9-15, a hub assembly 60is shown, having elements substantially similar or identical to theelements of the hub assembly 1 of FIGS. 1-8, as described above, withlike elements having like reference numerals. FIGS. 9-15 show the hubassembly 60 with two poles 40 to more clearly show the components of thehub assembly, however, the hub assembly 60 could be constructed withmore than two poles.

Referring to FIG. 9, the hub assembly 60 is connected to the ends of aplurality of poles 40 of a tent which have the tent fabric attached tothe poles 40. As shown in FIGS. 9-15, the hub assembly 60 has a body orhub 61 with a plurality of hub arms 62 radially extending from a centralportion having a central aperture 63. Each hub arm 62 has a firstfastener aperture 65 therethrough, and a pair of hub arms 62 form aspace therebetween for receiving an end member 43 of a respective pole40. The end member 43 has an upper portion and a lower portion, with theupper portion having opposing wall members forming a slot for receivingan intermediate portion 44 of the pole 40, and the lower portion havingopposing wall members have third fastener apertures 46 therethrough.Each opposing wall member of the upper portion has a second fasteneraperture 45 which complements and is aligned with the first hole 41 ofthe pole 40 and with the first fastener aperture 65 of a hub arm 62 toreceive a fastener 66 that passes through the first fastener aperture65, the second fastener aperture 45, and the first hole 41 of the pole40. The fastener 66 pivotally connects the end member 43 to the pair ofhub arms 62 of the hub 61, such that the pole 40 pivots in a respectivepair of hub arms 62. In this alternative embodiment, the hub assembly 60includes at least two poles 40 but more poles could be included withadditional hub arms 62 as well.

Referring again to FIG. 9, the hub 61 also includes an inner shaft 64integrally formed thereto and extending downwardly therefrom. An upperportion of the inner shaft 64 is open with the central aperture 63therein and a lower portion of the inner shaft 64 is enclosed except foran aperture extending therethrough at substantially the center thereof,as shown for example in FIGS. 11, 13 and 15.

As shown in FIG. 9, the hub assembly 60 also has a base 70 with pairs ofwalls 75 radially extending from a central portion with an outer shaft74 integrally formed thereto and extending downwardly therefrom. Anupper portion of the outer shaft 74 is open and a lower portion of theouter shaft 74 is enclosed except for an aperture extending therethroughat substantially the center thereof, as shown for example in FIGS. 11,13 and 15. Each pair of walls 75 forms a pole slot for receiving thelower portions of end member 43 of each pole 40, with the third fastenerapertures 46 aligned with guide slots 71 of the base 70. In thisembodiment, the outer shaft 74 is cylindrical but one of ordinary skillin the art will recognize that the hub assembly 60 could be configuredsuch that the outer shaft 74 has other shapes and sizes such as, forexample, having a square cross-section.

Referring to FIGS. 9-15, each wall 75 of the base 70 has an elongatedguide slot 71 which receive pins 80 that pass through the third fastenerapertures 46, such that the elongated guide slot 71 of each pair ofwalls 75 is pivotally connected to the third fastener apertures 46.Accordingly, the lower portions of the end members 43 of the poles 40 atthe third fastener apertures 46 are slidably and pivotally connected tothe elongated guide slot 71 of each pair of walls 75. Each elongatedguide slot 71 has a linear portion 72 and a curved portion 73 whichprovides a non-linear path of slidable movement of the pins 80 in theelongated guide slot 71.

Referring to FIGS. 9-11, the outer shaft 74 receives the inner shaft 64.The inner shaft 64 receives a biasing member 30 such as a spring. Acentral member such as a bolt 13 extends through the biasing member 30and the apertures of the lower portions of the inner and outer shafts64, 74. The biasing member 30 could also take on other forms such as adouble spring or a pneumatic actuator. The lower end of the bolt 13engages an optional washer and a nut 17, such as shown in FIG. 2. Thediameter of the washer is substantially equal to the inner diameter ofthe outer shaft 74. In the open configuration, the hub 61 may abut thebase 70, while the spring 30 biases the hub 61 of the hub assembly 60upward and away from the base 70. The outer shaft 74 may also have anopening 77 for attaching a top portion of the tent fabric or to attachother accessories.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the poles 40 are in an open configuration,with the pins 80 in the curved portion 73 of the elongated guide slot71. When the pins 80 are in the curved portion 73, the pins 80 are in alocked position at the outer end of the elongated guide slot 71, suchthat the poles 40 are maintained in the open configuration without theneed for additional fasteners. In addition, the spring 30 is partiallycompressed as the lower portion of the inner shaft 64 is positioned ator near the lower portion of the outer shaft 74.

In the alternative embodiment shown in FIGS. 9-15, the hub assembly 60is configured and dimensioned to have a first distance D1 between thesecond fastener aperture 45 and the third fastener aperture 46, and asecond distance D2 between the fastener apertures 45, 46 which isdistinct from the first distance D1, as shown in FIG. 11. Since thefirst fastener aperture 65 of the hub arms 62 is complementary to andaligned with the second fastener aperture 45, the first distance D1 isformed between the first fastener aperture 65 and the third fasteneraperture 46, and the second distance D2 is formed between the firstfastener aperture 65 and the third fastener aperture 46 which isdistinct from the first distance D1, as shown in FIG. 11. Similarly,when the fasteners 66, 80 pass through the corresponding apertures 45,46, 65, the first distance D1 is similarly formed between fasteners 66,80, and the second distance D2 is similarly formed between the fasteners66, 80 which is distinct from the first distance D1, as shown in FIG.11. With the hub assembly 60 configured in the open configuration inFIGS. 10 and 11 having the distances D1, D2, the distance D1 issubstantially equal to the distance D2, and the biasing member 30 is ina first state.

In the alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the first distanceD1 is measured in a first direction, and the second distance D2 ismeasured in a second direction. For example, the first and seconddirections are substantially perpendicular. In another alternativeembodiment, the first distance D1 is a horizontal distance between thefirst fastener aperture 65 and the third fastener aperture 46, and thesecond distance D2 is a vertical distance between the first fasteneraperture 65 and the third fastener aperture 46.

When a user desires to fold the tent, the user moves the poles 40 fromthe open configuration in FIG. 9 to FIG. 11 to an intermediateconfiguration shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, and then to a closedconfiguration shown in FIGS. 14 and 15.

Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, to fold the tent, the user moves the poles40 to the intermediate configuration by moving the poles 40 downward,and therefore providing a downward moment about the pivot of eachfastener 66 which is fixed to the hub arms 62. The downward momentremoves the slidable pivoting pins 80 out of the curved portion 73 ofthe elongated guide slot 71, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, allowing thepins 80 to enter the linear portion 72 of the elongated guide slot 71.As shown in FIG. 13, a third distance D3 is defined by the distancedirectly between the fasteners 66, 80 or a vertical distance between theguide slot 71 and the first fastener aperture 65. The third distance D3is greater than the first and second distances D1, D2. Thus, in theintermediate configuration, the downward moment applies a force whichmoves the hub 61 upward from the base 70 and further compresses thespring 30 as the inner shaft 64 moves upward with the hub 61 and thebiasing member 30 has a second state which is more compressed relativeto the first state of the biasing member 30 when the hub assembly 60 isin the open configuration as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. Once the poles 40are pivoted either further downward or back upward from the intermediateconfiguration to either the closed configuration or the openconfiguration, respectively, the poles 40 tend to remain in the open orfully closed configurations because the biasing member 30 is in thefirst state which is extended and less compressed relative to the secondstate of the spring 30 when the poles 40 are in the intermediateconfiguration.

The third distance D3 could be modified to adjust the compressibility ofthe biasing member 30 in the intermediate configuration. Also, theconfiguration of the guide slot 71 could be modified to accomplish thesame. For example, in an alternative embodiment, at least the portion 72of the elongated guide slot 71 is curved, which would offset thedifference between the distances D1 and D3, and the bias member 30 wouldhave less compression in the second state.

From the intermediate configuration in FIGS. 12 and 13, the user thenmoves the poles 40 to the closed configuration, shown in FIGS. 14 and15, by further moving the poles 40 toward the base 70 which provides adownward moment or torque about the pivot of each fastener 66, allowingthe pins 80 to slide along the linear portion 72 of the elongated guideslot 71. Such a downward moment further applies a force which moves thehub 61 further upward from the base 70, as shown in FIG. 15, whichdecreases the vertical distance D3 between the fastener 66 and the pin80, which transitions the biasing member 30 from the second state to thefirst state. The spring 30 in the first state provides a force whichmaintains the poles 40 in the closed configuration without the need foradditional fasteners. In the alternative embodiment, the hub assembly 60in the closed configuration has the distances D1, D2 are againsubstantially perpendicular and substantially equal, as shown in FIG.15, with the bias member 30 in substantially the same state ofcompression as the first state when the hub assembly 60 is in the openconfiguration shown in FIG. 11.

From the closed configuration in FIGS. 14 and 15, to open the tent, theuser moves the poles 40 upward from the closed configuration in FIGS. 14and 15 through the intermediate configuration in FIGS. 12 and 13, andthen to the open configuration in FIGS. 10 and 11. By moving the poles40 accordingly, the user provides an upward moment or torque on thepoles 40 about the fastener 66 to overcome the force of the compressedspring 30, and then to move the pins 80 into the curved portion 73 ofthe elongated guide slot 71. Thus, the upward moment provided by theopening movement of the poles 40 slides the pins 80 along the linearportion of the elongated guide slot 72 to the locking position in thecurved portion 73. Such a upward moment further applies a force whichmoves the hub 61 further upward from the base 70, as shown in FIG. 11,which decreases the vertical distance D3 between the fastener 66 and thepin 80, which transitions the biasing member 30 from the second state tothe less compressed first state when the hub assembly is in the openconfiguration in FIGS. 10 and 11.

Therefore, in the open configuration in FIGS. 10 and 11, the spring 30is extended in the first state, and the pins 80 are locked in the curvedportion 73 so that the pins 80 cannot release from the curved portion 73unless the user provides sufficient downward force to move the poles 40.

In a further alternative embodiment, the hub assembly 60 is configuredand dimensioned with the elements thereof providing either more or lesstension in the biasing member 30 by adjusting the magnitudes of thedistances D1, D2, and D3.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are to be embraced within their scope.

1. A hub assembly for a tent having a plurality of poles, the hubassembly comprising: a hub having a central member in a central apertureand a plurality of arms, each arm having a fastener aperture forreceiving a fastener which pivotably connects a first hole of arespective pole to the arm; a base having a shaft and a plurality ofwalls, with the central member slidably disposed in the shaft, withpairs of the walls forming pole slots each for receiving a respectivepole, each wall having an elongated guide slot for receiving a pin whichpasses through a second hole of a respective pole in the pole slot; abiasing member disposed in the shaft; wherein, with the poles in an openconfiguration, the pins are in a locking position in the elongated slot;wherein, when the poles are moved to a closed configuration, the pinsare moved from the locking position to an unlocked position in theelongated slot; and wherein, for each pole, a first distance between therespective fastener and the respective pin along a first direction issubstantially equal to a second distance between the fastener and thepin along a second direction different from the first direction.
 2. Thehub assembly of claim 1, wherein the first direction is a substantiallyvertical direction; and wherein the second direction is a substantiallyhorizontal direction.
 3. The hub assembly of claim 1, wherein the firstand second directions are substantially perpendicular to each other. 4.The hub assembly of claim 1, wherein, when the first and seconddistances are substantially equal, the biasing member is in a firststate in both the open and closed configurations.
 5. The hub assembly ofclaim 4, wherein when the poles are moved to an intermediateconfiguration between the open and closed configurations, the biasingmember has a second state which is compressed relative to the firststate.
 6. The hub assembly of claim 5, wherein, in the intermediateconfiguration of the poles, a vertical distance between the fastener andthe pin of each pole is greater than the first distance.
 7. The hubassembly of claim 6, wherein moving the poles from the intermediateconfiguration to either the open or the closed configurations decreasesthe vertical distance between the fastener and the pin which transitionsthe biasing member from the second state to the less compressed firststate.
 8. A hub assembly for a tent having a plurality of poles, the hubassembly comprising: a hub having a central member in a central apertureand a plurality of arms, each arm having a first pivotal connection witha first portion of a respective pole; a base having a shaft and aplurality of walls, with the central member slidably disposed in theshaft, with the walls including a guide slot having a second pivotalconnection with a second portion of a respective pole; and a biasingmember disposed in the central member; wherein, for each pole, a firstdistance between the respective first and second pivotal connectionsalong a first direction is substantially equal to a second distancebetween the first and second pivotal connections along a seconddirection different from the first direction.
 9. The hub assembly ofclaim 8, wherein the first direction is a substantially verticaldirection; and wherein the second direction is a substantiallyhorizontal direction.
 10. The hub assembly of claim 8, wherein the firstand second directions are substantially perpendicular to each other. 11.The hub assembly of claim 8, wherein, when the first and seconddistances are substantially equal, the biasing member is in a firststate in both the open and closed configuration.
 12. The hub assembly ofclaim 11, wherein when the poles are moved to an intermediateconfiguration between the open and closed configurations, the biasingmember has a second state which is compressed relative to the firststate.
 13. The hub assembly of claim 12, wherein, in the intermediateconfiguration of the poles, a vertical distance between the first andsecond pivotal connections of each pole is greater than the firstdistance.
 14. The hub assembly of claim 13, wherein moving the polesfrom the intermediate configuration to either the open or the closedconfigurations decreases the vertical distance between the first andsecond pivotal connections which transitions the biasing member from thesecond state to the less compressed first state.
 15. A tent comprising:a plurality of poles; a hub having a central member in a centralaperture and a plurality of arms, each arm having a fastener aperturefor receiving a fastener which pivotably connects a first hole of arespective pole to the arm; a base having a shaft and a plurality ofwalls, with the central member slidably disposed in the shaft, withpairs of the walls forming pole slots each for receiving a respectivepole, each wall having an elongated guide slot for receiving a pin whichpasses through a second hole of a respective pole in the pole slot; abiasing member disposed in the shaft to bias the central member upwardto bias the hub upward from the base; wherein, with the poles in an openconfiguration, the pins are in a locking position in the elongated guideslot; wherein, when the poles are moved to a closed configuration, thepins are moved from the locking position to an unlocked position in theelongated guide slot; and wherein, for each pole, a first distancebetween the respective fastener and the respective pin along a firstdirection is substantially equal to a second distance between thefastener and the pin along a second direction different from the firstdirection.
 16. The tent of claim 15, wherein the first direction is asubstantially vertical direction; and wherein the second direction is asubstantially horizontal direction.
 17. The tent of claim 15, whereinthe first and second directions are substantially perpendicular to eachother.
 18. The tent of claim 15, wherein, when the first and seconddistances are substantially equal, the biasing member is in a firststate in both the open and closed configuration.
 19. The tent of claim18, wherein when the poles are moved to an intermediate configurationbetween the open and closed configurations, the biasing member has asecond state which is compressed relative to the first state.
 20. Thetent of claim 19, wherein, in the intermediate configuration of thepoles, a vertical distance between the fastener and the pin of each poleis greater than the first distance.